Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a drawer and a main body. The drawer includes a frame holding a photosensitive drum rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction and a drawer-side connector including a drawer-side electrical contact part. The main body includes: a housing including a main body-side electrical contact part; a shaft extending in the first direction; a unit removably insertable to the housing; and a connection member. One end in a third direction intersecting with the first and second directions of the unit is fitted to the housing and the other end is supported to the shaft via the connection member. The main body-side connector is supported to the unit. The drawer-side electrical contact part and the main body-side electrical contact part are interconnected when the drawer is accommodated.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a first image forming unit which forms a first image on a first recording medium with a first material that is not thermally decolorizable; a second image forming unit which forms a second image on a second recording medium with a second material that is thermally decolorizable; a fixing device which is on a common carrying path shared by the first recording medium and the second recording medium and fixes the first image to the first recording medium; and a controller which controls the fixing device so that a temperature of the fixing device is lower than a decolorizing temperature of the second material when the second recording medium reaches the fixing device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a body casing, a pressing member, a process cartridge, and a drawer. The body casing includes a positioning member. The pressing member is disposed inside the body casing. The process cartridge includes a photosensitive drum. The drawer is configured to support the process cartridge and to move, in a sliding direction orthogonal to an axis direction of the photosensitive drum, between an inside position that is a position inside the body casing and an outside position that is a position outside the body casing. The process cartridge includes an engagement portion and a spring. The engagement portion is configured to be positioned by the positioning member. The spring is configured to be pressed by the pressing member such that the engagement portion is pressed toward the positioning member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing member and a pressing member forming a fixing nip therebetween, a heat generator, and a processor. The heat generator is disposed to heat a print medium passing through the fixing nip via the fixing member. The processor is configured to control the heat generator to start heating at a timing when a non-fixed image portion formed on the print medium is expected to reach the fixing nip, based on image data of an image to be fixed, a conveyance speed of the print medium, and an estimated heat capacity of the print medium.

Abstract: A printer includes a sheet feeder; an intermediate transfer body; a first image forming device; a second image forming device arranged downstream of the first image forming device; a secondary transfer roller arranged downstream of the second image forming device; and a processor. The processor moves the secondary transfer roller away from the intermediate transfer body, primarily transfers a second toner image onto the intermediate transfer body, rotates the intermediate transfer body until the second toner image reaches the first image forming device, primarily transfers the first toner image onto the intermediate transfer body by superimposing the first toner image on the second toner image, causes the secondary transfer roller to contact the intermediate transfer body, and secondarily transfers the first toner image and the second toner image onto the sheet using the secondary transfer roller. The printer further includes a fixing device.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a heating unit, a pressure unit, a moving unit, and a controller. The heating unit is configured to heat a toner on a recording medium. The pressure unit is configured to transport the recording medium while sandwiching the recording medium in a nip that the pressure unit and the heating unit form. The moving unit is configured to change a nip state of the pressure unit with respect to the heating unit by moving the heating unit or the pressure unit. The controller is configured to, when plural recording media are transported continuously, control the moving unit so that the moving unit moves the heating unit or the pressure unit in a separation direction so as to reduce a nip width at a recording medium interval between the recording media.

Abstract: In certain examples, a liquid electrophotographic printer has a charge erasing element and a charging element. The charge erasing element at least partially discharges a charged photo imaging plate and a charged layer of liquid toner and the charging element at least partially recharges the layer of liquid toner and the photo imaging plate.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member, at least one temperature detector, and a device-side drawer connector. The at least one temperature detector is configured to detect a temperature of the fixing member, the at least one temperature detector including a plurality of lead wires. The device-side drawer connector has a terminal portion configured to fit with a terminal portion of a body-side drawer connector of an image forming apparatus body to connect the plurality of lead wires of the at least one temperature detector to the image forming apparatus body. The device-side drawer connector is configured to branch a signal wire of the plurality of lead wires of the at least one temperature detector into a plurality of systems. A plurality of earth wires of the plurality of lead wires of the at least one temperature detector is short-circuited to each other.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member and a charging roller to which a direct current voltage is applied. A difference between a first potential (before charging) and a second potential (after charging) of a surface of the photosensitive member in an image forming operation is smaller than 100 V. The charging roller includes a shaft portion, an elastic layer provided on an outer periphery of the shaft portion, and a surface layer provided on an outer periphery of the elastic layer. A ten point height of roughness profile Rz (?m) and a root mean square slope R?q with respected to a surface of the charging roller satisfy Rz?7 and R?q?0.1.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a housing, a drawer, a photosensitive member rotatably supported by the drawer, a first roller rotatably supported by the drawer, a second roller, an urging member disposed at the housing for urging the second roller toward the first roller, and a positioner. The drawer is movable between a housed position at which the drawer is housed in the housing, and a shifted position at which the drawer is shifted from the housed position toward an exterior of the housing. The second roller is rotatably supported by the housing, disposed to face the first roller, and movable relative to the first roller. The second roller and the first roller pinch a sheet therebetween and transport the sheet toward the photosensitive member. The positioner is disposed at the drawer and positions the second roller relative to the first roller when the drawer is at the housed position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: a determining portion to acquire a density value for respective colors of toners, obtain a sum value of the density values of the colors of the toners, obtain a numerical value indicating the number of the density values being values larger than 0 out of the density values corresponding to the colors of the toners, and determine a target temperature on the basis of the sum value and the numerical value, wherein in a case the sum value is a first value and the numerical value is a first number, the determining portion determines a first temperature as the target temperature, in a case the sum value is the first value and the numerical value is a second number that is larger than the first number, the determining portion determines a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature as the target temperature.

Abstract: A toner container includes a container body, an opening, a cover, a toner discharge port, a shutter, a cylindrical structure, protrusions, and an identifier. The shutter is attached to the cover and includes a main shutter covering the toner discharge port. The main shutter moves between a closed position to close the toner discharge port and an open position to open the toner discharge port. The protrusions are on both sides of the cover and protrude in a direction orthogonal to a toner container mounting direction. The identifier is on the cover to indicate a toner color. The cylindrical structure's leading end is downstream of leading ends of the protrusions in the mounting direction. The main shutter's leading end is downstream of the protrusions' leading ends in the mounting direction when the main shutter is in the closed position. The protrusions are downstream of the identifier in the mounting direction.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including a temperature sensing circuit to which a temperature sensing element is electrically connected, wherein a surface of a heater on a side where the temperature sensing element is provided is in contact with the inner surface of a film, a heating element is provided in a primary side circuit which is electrically connected to a commercial power supply, and the temperature sensing circuit is electrically insulated from both of the primary side circuit and a secondary side circuit which is electrically insulated from the primary side circuit.

Abstract: A developer supply container detachably mountable to a developer receiving apparatus, the developer supply container includes an accommodating portion for accommodating a developer; a discharge opening for discharging the developer accommodated in the accommodating portion from the developer supply container; a developer feeding portion for feeding the developer in the accommodating portion toward the discharge opening; a rotatable drive receiving portion for receiving a rotational force; a drive transmitting portion for transmitting the rotational force received by the drive receiving portion to the feeding portion; a portion-to-be-detected for detecting rotation of the drive receiving portion; a contact surface for contacting a rotatable member provided in the developer receiving apparatus; wherein the drive receiving portion, the portion-to-be-detected and the contact are formed integrally.

Abstract: When a developing device is seen in a cross section orthogonal to a rotation axis of a rotatable developing member, a resin-made regulating blade has a cutout over an entirety of a region from a first position where the regulating blade is closest to the rotatable developing member to a second position 0.5 mm downstream of the regulating blade from the first position in a rotation direction of the rotatable developing member, and a cut amount of the cutout at the second position is 0.3 mm or more.

Abstract: A photoconductive layer in an image forming apparatus is refreshed. A first refreshing cycle is performed, including applying, at a first refresh unit, a first refresh voltage to the photoconductive layer and applying, at a second refresh unit, a second refresh voltage to the photoconductive layer. A second refreshing cycle is performed, including applying, at the first refresh unit, a third refresh voltage to the photoconductive layer, the third refresh voltage being higher than the first refresh voltage and higher than the second refresh voltage. Each of the first and second refreshing cycles electrically bias the photoconductive layer to a refresh polarity opposite to a print polarity applied during a print routine of the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: Provided are a first seating face and a second seating face, to which a lower side of a holding member of an optical print head being moved from an exposure position toward a retracted position by a movement mechanism strikes in the direction of movement thereof. A light emission face of a lens array of the holding member that has abutted the first seating face and second seating face is thereby positioned on a movement path of a rubbing portion provided on a cleaning member that is inserted from an opening.

Abstract: In one example, a system for transferring an image from a photoconductor to a print substrate includes a transfer member having a removable blanket wrapped around a rotatable drum and a laser. The blanket has a light absorbing exterior surface to receive a liquid LEP ink image from the photoconductor and to release a layer of molten toner to a print substrate. As the drum rotates, the laser exposes a width of the exterior surface of the blanket carrying a liquid LEP ink image to a beam of coherent light that delivers enough power to transform the liquid LEP ink image into molten toner.

Abstract: Certain examples described herein relate to an optical controller (140) for an exposure unit (115, 215) of a printer. In certain examples, memory (150) stores a plurality of data structures each comprising adjustment factors useable to adjust a plurality of optical elements (216) of the exposure unit. Different data structures correspond to different gray coverages in an image generated by the printer. In certain examples, a processor (160) determines gray levels for different image regions in input image data. In certain cases, the processor links the determined gray levels to corresponding data structures within the plurality of data structures to obtain adjustment factors for the different image regions. In certain cases, the processor adjusts the optical elements for each image region using the corresponding obtained adjustment factors to enable the generation of an exposed image using the exposure unit based on the input image data.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer container configured to accommodate a developer containing toner and a carrier, and a feeding screw provided rotatably in the developer container and configured to feed the developer in a predetermined feeding direction. The feeding screw includes a rotation shaft, and a first helical blade and a second helical blade which are formed around the rotation shaft and which form a multi-thread helical blade. The feeding screw includes a region in which a plate-like projection portion is provided on the rotation shaft between the first helical blade and the second helical blade. The plate-like projection portion is provided to contact an adjacent helical blade on a downstream side with respect to the feeding direction without contacting an adjacent helical blade on an upstream side with respect to the feeding direction.